The Grind

As mentioned before in my previous blog, I had aspirations to be a Division 1 athlete but sometimes things just do not work out as planned.  Every year athletes across the country struggle to come to terms about not playing at the school of their choice, or getting a full scholarship to play.  Everybody feels they have what it takes to play on the big stage, so playing at a small Division 2 or 3 college is most of the time out of the question.  But speaking from experience since I was a Division 2 football player for Mercyhurst University, there really are not that many differences that separate the two.  Yes most of Division 2 schools do not have the ability to offer full scholarships, and some of the more glamorous athletic facilities.  But the competition is just as intense and the talent level is just as good and in some cases even better.  The grind is tough because Division 2 athletes might not have access to certain needs that would help them get better, and in a few cases i have seen, some have to come out of their own pockets to get the job done.  That to me is one of the biggest differences from the two levels of competition, because the big D1 schools can offer athletes those needs without the athlete having to worry about possibly paying with their own money.  In that sense I feel D2 athletes develop a mind-set of, grinding it out and having more of an appreciation of playing college football, because there are many cases, of D1 athletes taking that opportunity for granted.  I do not mean to sound bias in any way because I it is not easy to be a student athlete, it is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but being at a school where football has to work around everything else is an intense grind.  It really does test you, making time management and self-independence vital, always having a certain demeanor about proving yourself.  Its almost like walking around with a chip on your shoulder having that feeling of knowing you should be at a major University playing in front of huge crowds, but your not and probably not on a scholarship either.  Making being a D2 athlete harder than people think, because those kind of schools do not get the publicity.  It is a beautiful struggle, and many D2 athletes have gone on to the prefessional ranks and acomplished great things, and will continue to do so with pride.  Like my mother always told me "If your good enough they will find you, no matter where you are"